Mooresville Things to Do: Huge Water Slides, Kitschy Crafts, and Home Cooked Meals

Mooresville, Indiana is a small, historic town located to the southwest of Indianapolis, the state capital of Indiana. Though it is so close to the Circle City, Mooresville has something of an entertainment industry all of its own. It’s not comprised of all night clubs, loud parties, or larger than life events. Rather, residents of Mooresville are entertained by the peaceful harmony of nature, the handiwork of their neighbors, a night of home cooked food with friends and family, or a relaxing day on the links. The atmosphere in Mooresville is altogether different from what you’d find in Indianapolis, and the residents of this community aren’t the least bit worried about it. If you’re in the right mindset, you’ll find plenty of things to do in Mooresville.

Founded in 1824, Mooresville has been around for quite a long time. It is the birthplace or former residence of several famous people, including John Dillinger, the charismatic Chicago bank robber, and Paul Hadley, the designer of the Indiana state flag who was a regular contributor to the Mooresville art scene. One Mooresville park, Hadley Memorial Park, is named after this famous Mooresville resident and occupies a block of downtown Mooresville. Mooresville has four other excellent parks, and each one provides some fun Mooresville things to do.

Old Town Park, founded in 1877, is the oldest park in the city and features a playground, shelter house, and a log cabin. North Park and Rooker Run Park are two smaller park spaces with nature areas, playgrounds, and picnicking grounds. Pioneer Park is the main and biggest Mooresville park and includes every type of playing field for Mooresville sports you could possibly imagine, horseshoe courts, playgrounds, a walking trail, and more. For those who love the outdoors but get a supreme sense of satisfaction from chipping in that perfect birdie, Mooresville is also home to seven different professional grade golf courses, including Eagle Pines, Friendswood, Links at Heartland Crossing, and Oak Tree Golf Course.

Located inside Pioneer Park is the Mooresville Family Aquatic Center, one of the most refreshing Mooresville things to do during the summer months. The Aquatic Center is a fully equipped recreational facility, perfect for Mooresville kids. Featuring a massive water slide and a community pool, the Mooresville Family Aquatic Center is a great way to cool off during those hot days in July and August. The center is also the site of many events throughout the year, including the Sunset Swim, Family Float Night (in which participants bring their floaties, water wings, and rafts to the pool), the Itty Bitty Beach Party (with fun games and activities for Mooresville children), and Water Aerobics. Visit the pool to get refreshed, have some fun, and get in shape!

In the fall, one Mooresville event provides a good deal of entertainment for the entire town: the Apple Festival and Craft Fair. This celebration of the changing seasons takes place at the end of every September and is hosted by Anderson Orchards, a locally owned Mooresville business. At the Apple Festival and Craft Fair, participants can pick their own apples, watch skilled crafters at work, visit Anderson Orchards’ pumpkin patch, and eat delicious goodies at the festival’s concession stand. The Apple Festival and Craft Fair brings in visitors from all the around the region, people who’d like to bring a slice of the Indiana countryside home with them. Stop on by and see why this great event is one of the most popular Mooresville things to do.

At the end of the day, despite all the cool activities you can do in the Mooresville parks system or the fruits of the harvest you can eat at the Apple Festival, Mooresville is really about community and good, down home values. This is where Mooresville restaurants come in; these establishments are the perfect Mooresville thing to do for sitting down, relaxing, and getting to know your friends and family. This small burg is actually home to several unique restaurants that serve up all types of culinary delights. Get some heart-stoppingly good biscuits and gravy at Biff’s Pioneer House, try the Kung Pao Chicken at Dong’s China Buffet, ladle up some steaming comfort food at Gray Brothers Cafeteria, or take a trip down to the bayou with Zydeco’s World Famous Cajun Restaurant; all this and more is located in downtown Mooresville.

Of course, one of the best parts about living in Mooresville is its proximity to downtown Indianapolis. If you’re willing to make an easy ten minute drive, you can quickly immerse yourself in the stylized, vibrant activity of the Indianapolis nightlife scene. In the Circle City, you can stop by an Indianapolis bar to sample beers and wines from around the world, experience the changing musical climate at an Indianapolis music event, or do a little soul searching at an Indianapolis art museum. The six Indianapolis cultural districts are rife with the spirit of Indianapolis arts, and you can learn a great deal about Indianapolis history just by walking the streets of the downtown sector. The wide world of Indianapolis is completely open to residents of Mooresville, and a visit to this metropolitan area of Indiana is certainly one of the best things to do in Mooresville.

Mooresville, though located only ten minutes from Indianapolis, doesn’t even try to compete with the electrified atmosphere of its big city neighbor to the northeast. Instead, it has its own peaceful charm, its own set of activities, festivals, and traditions. Residents of Mooresville live here for the great Mooresville education system, for the low population and the sense of kinship that comes with it. However, there are still plenty of things to do in Mooresville: the Mooresville parks system features five unique parks and the Mooresville Family Aquatic Center for exhausting physical fun, the Apple Festival and Craft Fair is a great way to get in an autumn kind of mood, and Mooresville restaurants can take you on a culinary trip of the United States in a single evening. Things to do in Mooresville attract a certain kind of person; every other type of person can go to Indianapolis.

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